Tick-borne diseases and blood-borne pathogen impact study

§ 207-a. Tick-borne diseases and blood-borne pathogen impact study. 1. The department, in conjunction with the commissioner of mental health, shall issue a report examining the mental health impacts of tick-borne diseases and blood-borne pathogens on mental illness rates in endemic areas of the state. Such report shall include but not be limited to:

(a) Considerations of how Lyme, tick-borne illnesses, and other blood-borne pathogens or vector-borne diseases may have correlations with mental illness in infected individuals;

(b) Populations at-risk including those individuals with occupations outdoors and/or increased exposure to vectors;

(c) Diagnostic indicators of mental illness that can be used as guidance for healthcare providers and mental health practitioners;

(d) Historical considerations of infection rates and mental illness indicators that may have gone undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in endemic areas; and

(e) Recommendations for intervention and coordinated care for individuals who exhibit mental illness symptoms as well as those who have both physical and mental health indicators.

2. Such report shall be submitted to the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly no later than October first, two thousand twenty-two. The department and the commissioner of mental health may engage stakeholders in the compilation of the report, including but not limited to, medical research institutions, health care practitioners, mental health providers, county and local government, and advocates.